1. Introduction to the material of ultra-light clay
Judging from the current situation of art teaching in China, in order to improve children's hands-on ability, handmade materials are often used in art classes to create. There are many common handmade materials, such as clay, plasticine, cardboard, waste items, wire, etc., and in recent years, a new type of environmentally friendly handmade material has emerged - ultra-light clay.
Ultra-light clay is a kind of paper clay, referred to as ultra-light clay, which is easier and more comfortable to pinch and mold, more suitable for modeling, and the work is cute. It was first born in Germany and gradually spread throughout Europe, and later spread to Chinese mainland through Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Ultra-light clay is a new type of environmentally friendly, non-toxic, naturally air-dried handmade molding material. Ultra-light clay is mainly made of polymer material foaming powder (vacuum microspheres) for foaming, and then mixed with polyethanol, crosslinking agent, glycerin, pigment and other materials in a certain proportion.
In recent years, art teachers have introduced "ultra-light clay" instead of plasticine in art classes. "Ultra-light clay" is an environmentally friendly, safe and easy-to-shape clay material, and has become one of the favorite toys for children. It has multiple characteristics such as ultra-light weight, soft feel, unique fragrance, delicate texture, strong reducing ability, rich color matching power, permanent shelf life, easy styling, and strong resistance, which is very different from other clay materials. In the process of playing with it, children can play freely, gain rich modeling experience and fun, and their thinking and hands-on skills can also be fully developed. Based on these characteristics, the introduction of "ultra-light clay" into the primary school art classroom enriches the creative expression of the classroom and is a very effective application.
Second, the characteristics of ultra-light clay
1) Ultra-light, ultra-soft, ultra-clean, non-sticky, no residue, strong plasticity.
2) There are many colors, and various colors can be mixed in proportion with the basic colors, and the color mixing is easy and easy to operate.
3) The work does not need to be baked, it is naturally air-dried, and there will be no cracks after drying. The drying speed depends on the size of the piece being made, the smaller the piece, the faster it dries, and the larger the piece, the slower. Generally, the surface drying time is about 3 hours. The work can be stored for 4 to 5 years after completion, and it will not deteriorate or become moldy.
4) High degree of combination with other materials, whether it is paper, glass, metal, or lace, beads, all have an excellent degree of tightness. After drying and shaping, it can be colored with watercolor, oil paint, acrylic paint, nail polish, etc., which has a high inclusiveness and strong expressiveness.
5) The raw materials are easy to preserve, and when they are fast drying, add some water to moisturize them, and they can be restored to their original state.
3. The expressiveness of ultra-light clay
a) Rich semi-random textures
Ultra-light clays have the properties of pulling out filaments, drying and rounding, and retaining porosity and folds, all of which can be retained as surface texture after drying. At the same time, because of the characteristics of pulling out the silk, in the process of mixing and kneading different colors of clay, there is a similar effect of flowing glaze kiln transformation, the difference is that the overall surface can be delicate and flat, and better than the glaze rheological texture, the change of ultra-light clay is basically controllable - based on the choice of color, the amount of quantity, the way of mixing and the strength of tensile and so on. The rational use of the imagery brought by this texture can project the creator's own experience to a certain extent, and express the creative ideas more truly and comprehensively.
2) Strong integration.
In terms of viscosity, although ultra-light clay is not as viscous as ordinary clay, it can be used to bond relatively small or light objects without the help of other gums, such as fibrous materials such as fur as a surface texture, or iron, stone, wood, glass, plastic components, etc. The adhesive method of ultra-light clay allows the material to be mixed into a richer language. At the same time, this gluing method also provides the creator with the opportunity to learn from the molding, that is, the opportunity to feel from different materials, and the creator can freely combine languages or create a more unique language.
In terms of cutting and grinding, ultra-light clay is not easy to cut when wet, and after it is fully dried, it can be cut with an ordinary knife, so that the artistic effect of soft pottery creation can be realized. For primary school students, they can also change their creative ideas at any time, and ultra-light clay is also more suitable for the creation needs of contemporary art.
3) Strong color expression.
Ultra-light clay is brightly colored and has a variety of colors, so it can use a variety of color overlapping techniques, repeated kneading, stacking, rubbing and other techniques to make it produce a gradient color. The characteristics of harmonizing colors can bring students a different visual aesthetic, and colorful artworks can stimulate children's interest in creation.
Fourth, the basic techniques of ultra-light clay
(1) Kneading: Place the clay between the palms of your two hands, rotate your hands relative to each other, and use even force, not too much.
2) Pinching: Cooperate with the thumb and index finger of both hands, and press the clay that has formed a ball and squeeze it into a square shape.
3) Rubbing: Place the clay in the palms of both hands, move back and forth with both hands or press the clay back and forth with one hand on the table.
4) Pressing: Using the palm of your hand or pressing a stone, press the clay into a thin cake shape.
5) Shear: Cut the clay out of the desired shape with scissors.
6) Pick: Use a toothpick to pick out, the fluffy effect, make ultra-light clay animals and plush toys with this method.
7) Engraving: Use a tool knife to scratch and extrude marks on the clay.
8) Cutting: Use a tool knife to cut the clay out of the desired shape and length.
5. Ultra-light clayCourse Objectives:
1) In the ultra-light clay teaching activities, teachers guide students to use methods such as pinching, doughing, kneading, and joining to freely change the shape of clay, so as to stimulate students' interest in shaping new three-dimensional shapes. In this way, the eyes, brain, hands and other aspects are fully coordinated, so that creativity and practical ability can be developed.
2) In the ultra-light clay teaching activities, through the creative theme full of life interest, guide the children to cultivate their temperament in the art creation activities, cultivate good aesthetic taste and moral sentiment, so that the children's observation, imagination and creativity of the three-dimensional space can be improved.
3) In the ultra-light clay teaching activities, students are allowed to collect and classify various materials, and the creative experience of combining originality and cooperation is promoted, so as to promote the students' exploration spirit of manual brain and the spirit of teamwork and mutual assistance in artistic creation activities.
Sixth, the course essentials of ultra-light clay
1) Class schedule of ultra-light clay: easy first and then difficult, a topic can have multiple class hours.
2) Preparation of ultra-light clay before class: determine the theme, divide the mud blocks, select the color, and equip the tools.
3) The way of teaching ultra-light clay: group teaching, division of labor and cooperation.
4) Course content of ultra-light clay: Ultra-light clay has a strong practicality, because it can be used for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional creation, and has unique advantages over painting. Whether it is modeling and expression, design and application, or appreciation and commentary, synthesis and exploration, teaching can be carried out. For example, in the most common modeling, you can make various utensils including animals and plants, people, buildings, transportation, daily necessities and so on; In terms of performance, theme creation can be carried out, emotions can be expressed, and stories can be narrated; In terms of design, you can carry out decoration design, object design, etc., and in terms of appreciation, you can recreate it in combination with famous paintings; In terms of synthesis and exploration, you can combine literature, ** or paper, cups and bottles and other materials to create. It can be seen that as a medium, ultra-light clay is widely used, and the teaching content that can be developed is extremely rich.
SevenThe use of ultra-light clay is beneficial to the development of students
1) The use of ultra-light clay is conducive to the development of students' bodies. Ultra-light clay is different from other forms of painting, it gives students more opportunities to use their fingers and muscles, and students' small muscle groups are in the stage of development, and there needs to be a regular, moderate amount of exercise to promote its better development, and the use of ultra-light clay just meets this requirement. In the production of ultra-light clay, it is necessary to use basic skills such as "doughing, rubbing, flattening, gluing, pulling, separating mud, and carving", which require the cooperation of both hands and five fingers, the rotation of the wrist, and the exertion of the small arm and the big arm. Proper exercise allows the best development of the child's muscle groups, and also promotes the flexibility and coordination of the child's hands. In the process of making clay, it also mobilizes the active participation and cooperation of students' visual, auditory, tactile and other senses, which has an extremely beneficial impact on students' brain development.
2) The use of ultra-light clay is conducive to the development of students' intellectual and creative talents. In the clay making activity, it not only teaches students simple skills in art and cultivates students' artistic talents, but also plays a unique role in promoting the development of students' intellectual and creative abilities. They are beginning to be able to use ultra-light clay to give full play to their imagination and create things that interest them and reap the fruits of their joy.
3) The use of ultra-light clay is conducive to the development of students' practical ability. The materials used in ultra-light clay are soft, variable, volumetric and suitable for three-dimensional molding. Students can knead into a ball, roll it into long strips, divide it into small pieces, stick it into a whole, and knead it into objects of any shape. As a result, it is particularly easy to arouse students' interest. Under the control of active curiosity, students gradually learn various operating skills and experience endless fun.
In summary, the introduction of ultra-light clay into the teaching of primary school art class can better reflect the concept of primary school compulsory education art curriculum reform. The ultra-light clay is rich in color and fun, the production process is unrestrained, easy to preserve, and easy for teachers to guide students to use multiple senses to carry out manual creativity, which is a very effective use of the practice of teaching activities and the improvement of students' aesthetic sense.